Hearing loss in musicians

Hearing is of special vocational importance in musicians. Musical performance may create sounds sufficiently intense to cause sensorineural hearing loss. Although such losses are usually not severe enough to be compensable under American Academy of Otolaryngology guidelines for occupational hearing loss, they may interfere with the musician's ability to perform the daily tasks of his or her profession. A review of the literature on occupational hearing loss in musicians reveals a substantial need for further research.